Terrified youngsters had an amazing escape when gales ripped off the roof of a swimming pool.

The children were having lessons in the pool at Salendine Nook High School when the roof was torn apart by the 70mph winds battering the town.

Parents shepherded the children to the relative safety of the changing rooms as debris dropped into the water at 5.30pm.

And they herded them from the devastated baths through a snowstorm of fibreglass from the roof insulation.

Chunks of the roof were blown many yards away on to the playing fields.

The debris included large chunks of metal from the structure.

One of the parents was Becky Coulthard, of Golcar, who had taken her daughters Sophie, 7, and Isobel, 4, for their regular lesson.

“It was terrifying for everyone, not just the children.

Roof insulation in Salendine Nook High School swimming pool after roof ripped off by storm (Image: Becky Coulthard)

“The kids, about 15 of them, were in the water having the lesson and all the parents were watching at the end of the pool.

“Suddenly we saw bits of insulation and other material blowing about outside and then heard an almighty bang.

“It was followed very quickly by another massive bang and the roof started to open up.

“We grabbed the children and got them out of the pool and into the changing rooms. They were very frightened.

“We got them dried and dressed but we had to wait until the winds died down a bit. As we came out, there was so much fibreglass blowing about that the children had to put on their swimming goggles to protect their eyes.

“My car looked as if it had been in a snowstorm

“Most of the roof had gone and there were large pieces of it away on the sports field”.

Parent Paul Wood said: “Thank God my wife and so are okay.

“The little lad was in the pool when the roof blew off and the debris fell in.”

Workers for the company that manages the complex started to try to shift the large pieces of metal using a bulldozer, but the hurricane-strength gusts made the job virtually impossible.

They were due to return to the site at 6am today to survey the full scale of the destruction.